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2013  -  Not Making Any Predictions

Clare Lafferty
MMO Staff


So, this time of year, everyone wants a prediction on the Mets season. How many games will they win? Will Ike Davis hit more homers? Can our new captain lead the team to a better record? Who will be the pitcher to watch now that R.A Dickey is gone and Johan Santana is done?

I am not a big fan of predictions probably because they never come true. Why waste your time guessing how the team will do?  It's hard enough to hear all the so-called "experts" around baseball tell you that the Mets will be horrible this year. They don't even mention that the Mets are even in the NL East - that really gets me mad!

So, instead of predictions, let's look at what we hope for. I hope for our young pitchers to gain the experience necessary to make them credible pitchers in the near future, like in 2014. I am looking forward to watching Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee and eventually ZachWheeler pitch, knowing that we can say we saw them when they first started. They all have great potential so let's see what they can do.

I hope for our outfield situation to work itself out. Everyone is in love with Collin Cowgill after his Opening Day slam and I  think he played well this spring. Let's see what he can do. I know that Lucas Duda and Marlon Byrd are starting for now and we'll have to see what happens, especially in Duda's case. We all know he's not the greatest of fielders and hopefully his bat can make up for the defensive hole that he causes.

I hope that Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy keep improving and working on their defensive craft. We all know Murph can hit and we will have to see if Tejada can improve on last year's totals. Tejada played shortstop well last year - yes, we still miss Jose - but Tejada did an acceptable job.

I hope that Ike and David will continue to be the cornerstones of this franchise. We all know what David means to this team and the fans and Ike is turning into a fine defensive first baseman. Now let's hope that he doesn't suffer through a miserable first half like last year.

And how about the bullpen? Can Bobby Parnell turn into the closer we need? He has the stuff to do it; does he have the mentality?  Scott Rice is a great story and I loved what Josh Edgin did last year. Could LaTroy Hawkins be a surprise coming out of the bullpen?

Yes, there are many questions that need to be answered but I refuse to believe that we can't improve on our 74 win season in 2012. I just don't think we are that bad. If we do the hard work this year, 2014 and 2015 can be very special seasons for the Mets. I have seen many bad seasons over my 45 years of following the Mets but this year can be the start of a promising run.

Mets fans are a hearty bunch - we are loyal and in it for the long haul. I will be watching every game and looking to see a brighter future for our ballclub. My one prediction for 2013 - the Mets will be competitive and fun to watch. I'll say we finish at 80-82.

Have hope, fellow Mets fans and look at 2013 as  the year when all the future pieces start to fall into place. Watch out in 2014!

Let's Go Mets!!